Spring is here!!!!

Oh, how I do love spring! The flowers budding, the trees in full bloom and all the winter bulky clothing is put away for another season! With spring comes the hope, the renewed beauty to this earth. I think that spring brings a renewed hope within each of us. We plant our gardens with the hope of the days to come, knowing that the warm sun will again bring about a harvest.

Spring is also a wonderful time to find color. We see it in the fresh shoots coming through the red dirt, and the bright green grass that covers the ground. It is the perfect time to bring out the little ones for a spring portrait. It is also the time when June brides start taking those wonderful engagement shots and bridal portraits. There is nothing more lovely than a bride standing near a cherry tree in full bloom. Don't let spring slip away before capturing her beauty!     

Happy New Year

I know I am a few days late! But they have been busy days. My boy is back in school and we are returning to a normal schedule.
I got to spend New Years morning with some big cats at Suzy's Pride in Rockwell, NC. I got to pet a lion cub, as did my boy and hubby. It was thrilling to become buddies with the King of the Beasts. That cub was very, very cool. We also watched as the big cats got fed, standing at times only inches from those big cats really was moving. Standing there and feeling their breath as the vocalized and did what is called chuffing you can listen to it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngQ8odAWUJY&feature=related
Between shots it made me pause and give thought to Daniel and what his thoughts were as they got ready to throw him into the lions den. Even greater was the thought of what a mighty God we serve who shut the mouth of those hungry lions. I did get some cool shots. it was foggy, but they still are cool.
I am involved in a 365 challenge, meaning one shot a day for a year. Usually its not tough to think about doing this, but some days motivation is missing, and I have only began. Check back to see how the challenge goes! Now for some photos...

Don't Blink...

So often life moves quickly. We blink and we are married, blink again and we are having children. This is suddenly when life moves into overdrive. Our children are tiny for what seems moments. All to well I remember those moonlight feedings, just my little boy and me. After a bottle I would change him to snuggle into the rocker for a few quiet lullabies, but I must of blinked a but long, because this year that tiny baby started High School. The teen years are upon us. We have football games, and parent conferences, there are social events, and yes, even dating. How could my baby be old enough for High School, and wasn't it just yesterday that I myself was babysitting, attending cross country meets and spending Friday nights going to a movie or youth group event?!  Yes, the sands of time are slipping by quickly. But if a photo is worth a thousand words, then maybe a few will also slow things down long enough to be enjoyed. I am snapping these photos as quickly as they happen, and should I blink he will be grown all to soon. But a photograph remembers a feeling, a moment frozen in time. When I blink and he is married and grown I will have the time to sit and look at the wonderful photos being captured of the good times that are happening right now. As the popular song title says, Don't blink... life goes faster than you think

Enjoying the beauty

I have been enjoying the cooler weather. I have spent some time in the back yard just watching the bees, moths and butterflies. I have a nice butterfly bush and morning glories that have bloomed and wrapped themselves around the back porch. These lovely gems showed up on their own, and with these gems comes the bees, and butterflies. I love thinking about the day that God created all this beauty. Every color, every detail, all wonderfully done by the Creators hand. I have taken my camera out on a few of the mornings and tried to do justice to the beauty of the colors and the stunning markings on the butterflies. I even managed to capture what is called a hummingbird moth. I could not stop following this guy and trying to watch as he enjoyed every bloom. Every time I captured something new I could not help but think What an amazing God we serve, and what a wonderful creation He has made!

Genesis 1:20-23 (New International Version)

 ²⁰ And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

Welcome

Hello, Welcome to my photography web page. Here you will find what I am doing with my photography, things I am learning and new tricks that I am applying to my shots. Its also a great place to learn about my family, some of the fun things we are up to and yes, you might even catch the score of the weeks football game.
I am really enjoying the portrait photography that I have been doing, but I also love to photography landscapes. North Carolina is one of those wonderful states that has the best of both worlds. We have the beautiful coast line and we have the mountains. I am so lucky to live in the Piedmont, it means in a few hours I can be at either destination. You cannot ask for anything more, except maybe a full tank of gas to get there!
Here is one of the photos I took the last time I visited the coast. This was taken at Orton Plantation. It is located on the Cape Fear river, it was stunning to visit in the spring and to see all the flowers in bloom.

Thanks for stopping by, I will post again very soon!  ~Candy